The secondary is about as deep as any unit on the team and it’s that depth that will keep the Spartans in great shape on defense.

Josh Butler – the 6’0″, 175 pound junior – started four games last season and appeared in all thirteen contests – he’s Green, not green.

Butler will be the leading candidate to step right in and fill Scott’s shoes without many hiccups.

And there are studs in wait.

Highly touted true freshmen Kalon Gervin, Chris Jackson, and Davion Williams are all probably foaming at the mouth at the opportunity to step right in and contribute immediately.

Shakur Brown and Tre Person are both redshirt freshmen that can – and will – be able to play winning football at the corner.

It’s possible that the injury to Scott might even provide these younger fellas the opportunity to gain valuable experience immediately – and that will only help the team now and down the road.

Are we still bullish on the chances of a return of the “No Fly Zone?”

Yes.

Is LJ Ready To Rumble?

LJ Scott is back, in case you’ve been trapped underneath a massive thing that is really large and has kept you from knowing that LJ Scott is back.

We’re on record with a prediction that after three seasons of “pretty good” statistics and performances, LJ is ready to explode with the help of an experienced, athletic, and, once again, deep offensive line.

We’ve said that LJ will rush for more than 1,500 in his senior season with the Spartans.

LJ Scott remains as healthy as a horse and the reviews from Big Ten Media Days, Michigan State’s Media Day, and the trickle of reports from post-practice sessions with members of the coaching staff all say LJ is focused, strong, committed to hanging on to the football, and ready to rock.

And he’s told everyone that his coaches remind him all the time about how he stated, at Big Ten Media Days, that the UMAAers are Michigan State’s “little sisters.”

The translation and interpretation of LJ saying he’s hearing about the “little sisters” comment from his coaches goes like this:

The entire Michigan State coaching staff is saying to LJ, “Oh – you’re the big guy now who can run his mouth and say stuff that can go up on their bulletin board about how they’re the little sisters after we’ve spent a decade letting our play on the field say everything. If you’re comfortable with being the one to blame for waking those guys up, fine. But how about this? How about you bust your butt every day and run for about 225 yards on October 20th and help this team win the Big Ten Championship, reach the College Football Playoff, and win the whole shebang? How about that? Oh – and how about you don’t fumble the ball any more? If you can back up that nonsense you blabbered, that’s when we’ll be fine with the blabber…”

Do we remain bullish on LJ Scott and do we still think he’s going to finish the season with 1,500 yards and be one of the catalysts for a Big Ten Championship season?

Yes.

Dynamic and Dynamite Receiving Corps?

Felton Davis turned a lot of heads last season.

And it wasn’t only because he has amazing hair.

Davis’s 776 yards receiving during his junior season was good for sixth in the Big Ten and earned him second team All Big Ten honors from the media and third team All Big Ten honors from the coaches.

Davis had 55 catches last season.

And his performance over the course of the full season gives us merely a glimpse at his full potential.

Whether Davis is selected in the first or seventh round of next Spring’s NFL Draft doesn’t matter – he’s going to earn a paycheck in the NFL for a long time.

And he’s going to be a menace for opposing defenses this Fall.

When you consider that the other studs that will be catching passes from Brian Lewerke are Cody White, Darrell Stewart, Cam Chambers, Matt Sokol, and other guys who will play winning football for the Spartans, it’s not at all a stretch to suggest that Michigan State might have its best overall receiving corps in the Dantonio Era.

No injuries to these receivers so far this August – only continued growth, continued refinement and precision, continued development of chemistry, and continued overall commitment point, collectively, to a unit that will be yet another key contributor to a Big Ten Championship season.

Do we remain bullish on the Spartan receivers?

Yes.

Do we remain bullish on the Michigan State Spartans.

Yes, we do.

We remain as bullish on the Michigan State Spartans as we do on the way the veteran tavern sages at Art’s Bar & Grill serve up a perfectly-chilled mason jars filled with ice cold Budweiser while the jukebox plays Bob Seger.